MANILA, Philippines - Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) on Wednesday revealed an aggressive route expansion to help the firm rake in profits by next year.
PAL President Ramon S. Ang said the airline will be flying to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia starting May 1; to Brisbane, Darwin and Perth in Australia and to Guangzhou in China on June 1; and to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on October 1.
"Australia, Kuala Lumpur and Guangzhou are major destinations for business and leisure. Abu Dhabi, on the other hand, has a large concentration of OFWs, making it a prime destination in the Middle East," Ang noted.
PAL will be flying the Manila-Kuala Lumpur, Manila-Guangzhou, and Manila-Perth routes four times a week, and the Manila-Darwin and Manila-Brisbane routes thrice a week.
The carrier will be flying from Manila to Abu Dhabi and back daily.
Ang said the airline is aiming to cut its losses by half through the acquisition of fuel-efficient aircraft and new long-haul routes.
"By next year, PAL will earn money," Ang said confidently.
The airline's parent firm PAL Holdings Inc. recorded a net loss of P2.74 billion in the first nine months of its fiscal year ending December. The figure is already an improvement in the previous year's net loss of P3.59 billion.
PAL earlier inked a $10-billion deal with Airbus for 64 new aircraft expected to help cut the firm's fuel and maintenance costs.
Moreover, Ang said that if international aviation audit bodies would lift its safety concerns on the Philippine aviation industry, these would also help PAL bring in profits as it can add more international routes.
The country is restricted by the US Federal Aviation Authority, International Civil Aviation Organization and the European Union from expanding flights to the US and Europe pending the Philippine government's compliance to various aviation safety standards.
source: abs-cbnnews.com
